Multi-pin electrical connectors for PCB surface mount technology are known. The connector has a support or carrier with a plurality of circular pin mounting holes extending through the carrier. The holes are usually in a straight line along the length of the carrier. The carrier is electrically non-conductive. A contact pin, generally cylindrical in shape, is mounted in each hole Each contact pin has a contact head on one side of the carrier and projects through the carrier to provide a leading pin section on the other side of the carrier. The pins are made of electrically conductive material. The connector is electrically connected to a PCB by soldering the contact head of the pins to the circuits on the board. A socket then connects another electrical device to the leading sections of the pins to connect the PCB to the device.
The contact pins usually have a tight fit in the holes in the carrier and remain fixed in position during assembly of the connector to the PCB with the contact heads tight against the carrier. However, with long carriers, there is more chance of uneven spacing between the carrier and the PCB and, with uneven spacing, one or more of the heads on the pins may not make good contact with the PCB. To overcome this problem, the pins have been mounted in a ‘floating’ manner in the carrier. By ‘floating’, it is meant that the pins are loosely mounted within the holes in the carrier and can have some movement in the longitudinal direction of the pins and the holes, relative to the carrier, and also in a transverse direction to the holes, relative to the carrier The ability to move longitudinally, relative to the carrier, allows the heads of the pins to make good contact with the PCB even if there is some uneven spacing between the carrier and the PCB.
In order to retain the ‘floating’ pins in place in the holes in the carrier, the pins are provided with retaining means on the pin spaced from the head of the pin. The retaining means are usually in the form of a collar as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,854,882 and 6,270,362. This collar is slightly larger than the hole to prevent withdrawal of the pin from the hole. The collar is also spaced from the head of the pin a distance slightly more than the length of the hole the pin passes through. This spacing allows the pin to ‘float’ to provide good contact between the head of the pin and the PCB during soldering.
The ‘floating’ pins are mounted on the carrier by forcing the collar on the pin through the hole. However, since the collar is larger than the hole, and the carriers are usually made from relatively rigid material to properly locate the pins for soldering, the carrier often cracks during mounting of the pins and must be replaced resulting in waste and added cost.